Loyola Launches New Rambler Brotherhood Project to Provide Opportunities For Men

Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, the founder of SAAB, formerly known as Student African American Brotherhood, and Brother 2 Brother gave an address on Sept. 19 which officially launched Loyola’s Rambler Brotherhood Project, a program which aims to provide academic opportunities and mentorships for students.

The Rambler Brotherhood project was first unveiled last spring, according to a university press release. Bledsoe’s speech included a presentation about the importance of improving education rates for male students and how the Rambler Brotherhood Project promotes academic achievement in the Loyola community. 

The SAAB experience creates culture, shapes values, forms beliefs and transforms behaviors, according to Bledsoe’s presentation. The Rambler Brotherhood project is a chapter of B2B, a program affiliated with SAAB.

The Rambler Brotherhood Project will provide its scholars with mentorship, programmatic and academic opportunities, according to the press release.

“B2B/SAAB provides a framework for educational institutions to build a sense of community excellence among their male students and especially to support young men of color throughout their educational journey,” the press release reads.

In his speech, Bledsoe said the organization has around 370 chapters in 41 states. He said younger generations’ education levels are a prevalent concern. 

“More and more, we have a generation that is not exceeding their parents educationally or economically,” Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe said he was a first-generation college student and his mother instilled in him a value for education. 

“My mom said, ‘Don’t ever let money be the reason you don’t get something you need —  your education,’” Bledsoe said. “She said if you have to borrow, borrow smartly.” 

Anton Jahn-Vavrus, third-year and president of the project, said the initiative isn’t meant to only benefit a single gender or racial group. 

“This group isn’t just for men, or it’s not just gonna benefit Black men or Latino men in the community, it’s a benefit to the entire university,” Jahn-Vavrus said. 

During his speech, Bledsoe mentioned plans for creating a new chapter under SAAB which is dedicated to women and said the development of this program is currently in the works. 

“What’s new this year is now we are entering the space to have a sisterhood called Sister 2 Sister,” Bledsoe said. “We are beginning to address that in a very intentional way. We are going to take our time with that, because we don’t want to assume we know what young ladies need.”

Third-year Antonio Samaniego became a member of the Rambler Brotherhood after it was recommended to him by Campus Ministry. He said the program has given him a community and it motivates him to excel academically. 

“This exceeds everything I expected, and I know I want to give more to this so that it continues expanding upon my graduation and everybody else’s as well,” Samaniego said. 

Samaniego, an elementary education major, said the program’s community has been beneficial for his mental health and, in the future, he aspires to be a mentor in the program.

“The mental health help has really been a big part,” Samaniego said. “Being 27, having gone through a lot of things, mentorship is going to be one big part of what I want to do with these younger students at 18.”

Jahn-Vavrus, said the program wants to start a mental health support group for men through the Wellness Center. 

“Whether you’re in the brotherhood or not, you’ll meet with a trained therapist weekly in a group therapy environment and you can talk about anything you want,” Jahn-Vavrus said.

Second-year Juan Bahena, a political science major, attended the project’s initial presentation in the spring and said he knew from the beginning he wanted to be a part of the project.

“I know that everyone here wants to succeed and wants something that’s better, not just for themselves but for others,” Bahena said. 

Bahena said he is looking forward to seeing student and faculty involvement in the program especially since Loyola is the first Jesuit university in the nation to have a SAAB/B2B, according to the press release.

“I would like to see the effects of not just the student engagement but also from the faculty and staff and the hopes they have for us,” Bahena said, “I know it’s going to be a great thing, it’s going to be a great way to kickoff and be a hub for the Midwest.” 

Jahn-Vavrus said the program is working to bring awareness of their organization to more students so they all have this outlet open to them. 

“We’re getting on board with social media,” Jahn-Vavrus said. “We’re hoping to do an open house soon, and continue to use word of mouth, you might see some fliers up but if you see someone in a Loyola suit feel free to stop us and ask.” 

Jahn-Vavrus, Samaniego and Bahena all attended the annual SAAB national conference last year and said they are looking forward to attending it in St. Louis this spring. They said the event was life-changing and its workshops allowed them to interact and connect with strangers. 

“It’s experiences like that,” Jahn-Varus said. “You’re like, ‘Okay this is something a little different.’ This isn’t just the university putting on a show for diversity and equity — there’s actual impact.”

This story was written by Fathima Shirazi and Alicia Jones

Featured image by Max Bates / The Phoenix